Some more observations about the Samsung phone, yes the screen was impressive from a display standpoint but thats about it. The Edge functionality was HORRIBLE. As the screen wrapped around you have no place to put your fingers but on edge. And you touch the edge it fires off stuff. Yeah thanks but no thanks. I turned some of it off but you cant turn all of it off.
The one thing that really stood out besides the dysfunctional UI was how hot the thing would get. Samsung toted the whole wireless charging thing where you lay it down on a pad to charge it. Yeah thats nice but it doesnt work with all cases and oh yeah we forgot to tell you its so hot you are afraid its going to spontaneously catch fire. Lithium battery fires are not pretty, dont even go there.
What you say about buying one of the big brand names and longevity is dead on. If you buy a no-name one than it really is disposable. You are on your own.
If you do any real reading about Android the OS - the carrier logo-ed phones are completely dependent on updates from the carrier. What that means is that your version of Android is not only customized by Samsung but its also customized by whomever your carrier is as well. In computer dork source code talk that means you have this:
Google
|
Android
|
Samsung
|
Carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Joe's Cell Company)
What that means if Google updates Android, who knows how long it will take Samsung to take it in and do what they have to do and than you get to wait again for the carrier to butcher it even further. So you have the bastard child from mars in terms of Android.
If you go on the Android forums there is tons and tons of people complaining about whatever version of Android there is and when are they going to get the patches. It took Samsung/Verizon over a year to deliver the Lollipop version of Android to Samsung users.
For Verizon, you also dont know what they did to it as they wont tell you. The only thing you can see is the crapware they have forced on you that you cant uninstall. I remember there was at least 6-8 Verizon apps that that you CANT UNINSTALL.
They also have partnered with all kinds of other companies ie. Facebook, Twitter and other crap you have never heard of. And you cant uninstall that either. You are locked in to them 1000%. The only way to get rid of it is to flash your own OS. And you could brick your phone in the process.
Who has time for that? Not me. All of this is why I went back to the iPhone - when Apple pushes updates it controls them. No Verizon, no AT&T. There is no crapware on the phone, just the crap that you install
. Yes Apple is psychotic and controlling but it could be much worse.
I have read that the Moto's are stock Android, thats a good thing.